Music

Cardi B says she wanted to take her own life after seeing the alleged lies posted by a blogger who's now on trial in federal court.

Cardi's lawsuit against the blogger, Tasha K, is now being tried in a federal courtroom in Georgia, and on Thursday morning, Cardi took the stand. She told the jury, "I wanted to commit suicide over the things" Tasha was saying about her.

Tasha made several video posts back in 2018 and 2019 about Cardi, claiming she had been a prostitute and had contracted multiple STIs ... among many other things, which prompted Cardi's lawsuit. As we reported, Tasha didn't take it well when she was served with the papers.

In court, Cardi also testified ... "I felt defeated and depressed and I didn't want to sleep with my husband." This was all going down shortly after Offset and Cardi welcomed their first child, Kulture ... and Cardi told the court she felt like "I didn't deserve my kid."

Cardi's attorney asked her what she thought about Tasha after seeing the posts, and she said ... "I felt like only a demon could do that s**t." The rapper actually apologized to the judge for swearing after that statement.

She eventually broke down in tears after repeating the ordeal made her feel suicidal.

Cardi is still on the stand, and could be cross-examined by Tasha's attorney later Thursday.

Kodak Black isn't in any sort of legal trouble over his NHL game grind sesh ... cops tell TMZ Sports there's no investigation into the matter because "they were not having sex."

The rapper was spotted at the Florida Panthers game on Tuesday enjoying a lapful of butt from his lady friend in a box suite ... and many thought the two were actually getting it on.

Video shot from across the arena showed the couple grinding on each other ... though a more zoomed-in angle of the action seemed to show they were only dancing.

A spokesperson for the Sunrise Police Dept. tells us officers were present in the suite at the time of the action ... and insist the two were not having sex.

"They were just dancing very provocatively," the spokesperson said.

We're told cops asked Kodak and his partner to stop shortly after they began ... and the rapper complied with no issues whatsoever.

John Mayer and Jeff Ross's trek through L.A. traffic to pickup Bob Saget's car got one of them a keepsake of their dearly departed friend. And, no ... we don't mean Bob's car.

The singer and comedian shared what was clearly a pretty emotional mission for them ... going to LAX to pick up the Prius Bob had left parked at the airport when he flew out of town.

In the video, they reveal how much they had to pay to get the car out of the parking structure -- it wasn't cheap -- but Jeff stepped up to cover the tab, and John explained it was all about getting the receipt.

Jeff admitted he wants to hold onto it as a memory of Bob. John went even deeper, saying it's a way to keep his hand on Bob's shoulder, now that they'll never see each other again.

TMZ broke the story ... Bob was found dead in an Orlando hotel room Sunday, apparently dying in his sleep without suffering.

His good friends are clearly still shaken by the loss, but Jeff did have a few jokes during the car ride to lighten the mood -- he is the Roastmaster, after all.

Kanye West is a named suspect on an alleged battery early Thursday morning -- allegedly punching a fan -- TMZ has learned, and LAPD is investigating.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Ye got into some sort of argument that allegedly turned physical around 3 AM in DTLA. We're told the incident occurred near the Soho Warehouse. We do not know if Ye was at Soho before the incident, but given the time, it seems likely.

We're told Kanye allegedly pushed and then punched a male fan ... the case is being investigated as misdemeanor battery ... a crime that carries a maximum jail sentence of 6 months.

FOX 11 -- who first broke the story -- says Kanye knocked the fan to the ground.

We've obtained video of an irate Kanye shot sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. You hear Kanye yell, "Did y'all say that or not? Did y'all say that or not?" "Cuz that's what happened right f****** now."

Earlier in the evening, Kanye was partying at Delilah in WeHo with girlfriend Julia Fox. He left and drove off alone ... Julia stayed at the club.

We've reached out to Kanye's team ... so far, no word back.

Jamie Lynn Spears says she's in no position to evaluate Britney Spears' mental state, but that's exactly what she did in her book, clearly suggesting her big sister had mental issues.

In an interview that aired Wednesday night on "Nightline," Jamie acknowledged she wrote in her memoir that over the years Britney's conduct was "erratic," "paranoid" and "spiraling."

She described an incident in the book where she says Britney took a knife, and locked herself and Jamie Lynn in a room, saying she was scared. As for why she included the story ... Jamie Lynn essentially said the book was a memoir and she was recounting stories that had an impact on her life ... namely, she says she suffers panic attacks from past trauma.

Up to now, it seemed Jamie Lynn was trying to extend an olive branch to Britney, but based on what we now know she's saying in the book, she's clearly trying to make a case that Britney has serious mental issues.

She also says her relationship with Britney fell apart during the pandemic, recounting a story where she says Britney was holding her toddler, Ivey and got in Jamie Lynn's face, cursing at her. Jamie Lynn says her 12-year-old daughter tried to mediate the situation. As for their parents' reaction ... Jamie Lynn says it was simple ... Don't Upset Britney -- and that angered Jamie Lynn.

Russell Westbrook can't catch a break -- the Lakers star was hilariously mocked by the Sacramento Kings' in-house DJ on Wednesday ... who played the song "Cold As Ice" every time he missed a shot.

It's no secret -- Russ hasn't necessarily been lights-out from the field recently ... and the shooting slump continued against the Kings in Sacramento.

Check out the clip -- you can hear the DJ drop a snippet of Foreigner's "Cold As Ice" track every time Westbrook missed a shot.

BTW, Russ finished the game with just 8 points -- going 2-14 from the field -- so the song was played quite a bit.

But, that wasn't the only troll job of the night -- in the waning moments of the game, the Kings put up a graphic on the scoreboard ... calling Westbrook the "Ice Cold Player Of The Game."

This isn't the first time we've seen the former MVP struggle to shoot the rock. In fact, here are some of Russ' most recent shooting woes.

7-of-19 vs. MIN

7-of-19 vs. SAC

4-of-14 vs. ATL

2-of-12 vs. MEM

2-of-14 vs. SAC

Westbrook brushed it all off after the game ... telling reporters "That's funny. I hope they played that the last 14 years, too. It's funny they play it now. That's cute."

To Russ' credit, he did take personal responsibility for his shooting struggles ... saying, "Man, who you telling. I can't f**king hit a shot, boy."

Kevin Hart's now on a Philly dream team -- joining Meek Mill and Michael Rubin to give back to their community with a $15 million donation to benefit students in the greater Philadelphia area.

The "Championships" rapper and 76ers partner added Kevin to the mix for another big charitable push -- pooling their funds to support 5,000 students from underserved communities who are attending private and parochial schools.

We're told the $15 mil donation will back the students at 110 schools for the 2022-23 school year.

As we've reported ... Meek's made a tradition out of playing Santa for Philly kids each Christmas -- but he's also put forth a year-round effort to support education in his hometown.

He and Michael launched a $2 million scholarship fund for Philly students back in December 2020, providing youth with critical resources during the pandemic.

The duo partnered with REFORM Alliance just last month, hosting a special VIP experience for more than 25 children negatively impacted by the criminal justice system -- the kids went to a 76ers game, and even got to shoot around on the court.

Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox are soon to be Mr. and Mrs. ... getting engaged with a pretty baller ring and allegedly celebrating by drinking each other's blood???

MGK made the announcement Wednesday, with the caption, "yes, in this life and every life” beneath the same branches we fell in love under, i brought her back to ask her to marry me."

The whole thing went down at Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton in Puerto Rico ... a spot the two have visited before.

Megan too posted a video of the engagement, saying, "Somehow a year and a half later, having walked through hell together, and having laughed more than I ever imagined possible, he asked me to marry him."

But, it's how she ended her post that has people confused "…and then we drank each other’s blood."

It's certainly not the first time these two have swapped some bodily fluids, MGK has worn a necklace in the past with a drop of his now-fiancees blood in it.

He says he designed the ring with Stephen Webster, with Megan's birthstone, the emerald, and his birthstone, the diamond. Continuing, "set on two magnetic bands of thorns that draw together as two halves of the same soul forming the obscure heart that is our love."

Megan and MGK met in 2020 while filming the movie "Midnight in The Switchgrass" and have seemingly been inseparable ever since.

Megan was previously married to Brian Austin Green, the two have three kids together. MGK has never been married, but has a daughter.

Brandy Norwood is being dragged to court over a $45,000 ring she was supposed to wear at the American Music Awards ... a ring that's allegedly gone missing.

Brandy and her stylist, Ashley Sean Thomas, are being sued by Elle B. Mambetov, a fashion designer and Beverly Hills store owner.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Mambetov claims Brandy's stylist approached her last year about borrowing jewelry and clothes for the singer to wear at the November Awards show ... and the designer let them borrow some outfits and a Dreamboule Big Bang Diamond Ring.

Brandy and her stylist allegedly never returned the ring ... and the designer claims it's valued at around $45k. She says in her suit Brandy's stylist told her it was last seen on the piano at Brandy's Calabasas estate.

Brandy didn't wear the ring or the outfit to the AMAs ... but we're told it's not all that uncommon, because stylists usually put together many different options for celebs.

The ring is 18-karat rose gold, with a sapphire crystal dome and black volcanic stone.

The designer's going after Brandy and her stylist for the value of the ring plus other damages ... claiming she's suffered financial losses and emotional trauma.

We reached out to Brandy and her stylist ... so far, no word back.

Ronnie Spector, the lead singer of the famed, girl group, The Ronettes -- famous for songs like "Be My Baby," has died.

Ronnie's family said she died Wednesday after a brief battle with cancer, in the arms of her husband.

The Ronettes were trailblazers ... the group formed in 1957 with Ronnie, her sister, Estelle and her cousin, Nedra.

Here's how big the Ronettes were ... in 1965, they were voted the third top singing group in England, trailing only The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

The group's trajectory soared when they hooked up with legendary music producer, Phil Spector, who created the famous "Wall of Sound."

Among their hits, in addition to the 1963 smash, "Be My Baby," they scored with "Walking in the Rain," "Baby, I Love You," and "Chapel of Love." They also did a number of hit XMAS songs, including, "Frosty the Snowman," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."

The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Ronnie married Phil Spector in 1968, but it was short-lived ... they separated in 1972. The way the story goes ... she fled their home barefoot because Phil had hidden all of her shoes to prevent her from leaving. He also put barbed wire around the perimeter of their home to keep her from escaping.

Ronnie, along with the other members of the group, sued Phil Spector in 1988 for unpaid royalties.

Ronnie had a resurgence of popularity in the mid-'80s... she sang on Eddie Money's hit song, "Take Me Home Tonight."

And, get this ... The Ronettes scored their second, top 10 hit just 2 weeks ago, when "Sleigh Ride" reached #10 on the Billboard Charts.

Ronnie remarried in 1982 to her manager, Jonathan Greenfield. They have 2 sons.

Young Thug's travel plans were quickly shifted after one man in his party allegedly didn't have the proper ID to fly -- causing the rapper to blow up on the pilot -- and ending with cops getting the call to the runway.

Young Thug was traveling with friends, including Gunna, Wednesday when the altercation went down. The group was supposed to take a private jet from Miami to New York, but that itinerary apparently hit a speed bump when one of the men traveling with TY didn't have the proper docs to fly.

As you see in the video, the pilot asked him to step off the plane before it took off ... but that wasn't the end of the problems.

The pilot informs YT someone traveling in the group made the flight attendant feel uncomfortable, and therefore they can't fly. It's never explained in the video exactly what happened to the flight attendant.

Cops were called to the scene, and law enforcement sources say everything was sorted out, and Gunna and Young Thug booked another plane to their destination.

Nicki Minaj can breathe easier -- a lawsuit claiming the rapper harassed and threatened the woman who accused Nicki's husband of sexual assault has been dropped ... and Nicki's planning to go after the woman to recoup money lost in legal fees.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the lawsuit against Nicki was voluntarily dismissed Wednesday by Jennifer Hough. A source close to the case tells us there was not any sort of financial settlement reached to make it go away. Nicki's husband, Kenneth Petty, remains a defendant.

In a blistering response, Nicki's attorney, Judd Burstein, tells TMZ Jennifer and her lawyers thought they could shake Nicki down for some easy money, trying to financially settle it from the beginning.

We've seen an email Burstein sent to Hugh's lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, which reads, in part, "In my view, your conduct in pursuing this case against Nicki represents the worst of our legal system: bottom-feeding lawyers who pursue frivolous actions against a celebrity assuming that they will be paid off if they throw enough dirt."

Judd continues, "You forced my client to spend over $300,000 in fees to defend a case which even my labradoodle, Gracie, could see was frivolous on both the facts and the law."

Kenneth was convicted of trying to rape Jennifer in 1995, and she's since spoken publicly about the ordeal.

TMZ broke the story, Jennifer sued Nicki in August, claiming Nicki and her legal team had offered to pay Jennifer to change her story about what happened with Kenneth.

Country music star Walker Hayes had to rub a little salt in his wound following Alabama's loss Monday night ... rewriting one of his hits to pay off a bet he made with a Georgia football legend.

The "Fancy Like" crooner and HUGE Bama fan took to IG to explain the situation on Tuesday ... saying he had made a gentleman's agreement with ex-Bulldog star David Pollack before the title game.

Hayes promised to replace some of his Tide-themed lyrics in his hit, "AA," with UGA ones if Bama fell. No word on what Pollack would have had to do if Georgia lost.

But, it ultimately didn't matter, 'cause the Bulldogs took home the trophy ... and Hayes was forced to pay up less than 24 hours later.

So, Hayes whipped out his guitar ... and instead of singing, "In Alabama where they love Nick Saban," he belted out, "In Athens, Georgia where they love Kirby Smart."

He also showered Pollack and Georgia in praise ... and even begrudgingly added a "Go Dawgs!" to his video.

We're sure that didn't feel too good ... but we're confident Hayes and Bama have enough trophies over the last few years to soak up the tears.

Fat Joe says his famous friends are chipping in to make sure victims of that historically deadly Bronx apartment fire aren't left out in the cold -- but adds it's gonna take more than celebrities to get the job done.

Joey Crack joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and told us what inspired him to team up with NYC Mayor Eric Adams to help survivors and those who lost loved ones and property in the deadly blaze.

As we reported ... the inferno engulfed a 19-story apartment building in the Bronx, killing 17 people -- including 8 children -- the city's deadliest fire in more than 30 years.

Fat Joe says most of the people living in the building are immigrants, and they're now homeless amid freezing cold winter temps. He's used his contacts to help jumpstart fundraising, shouting out donations they've already received from Jay-Z, DJ Khaled, LL Cool J, Nas and former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey ... among others.

It's the first big crisis for Adams, who took office on Jan. 1, and Fat Joe tells us why the new mayor can cut through political red tape to make a difference here.

Kanye West is plotting on Putin -- he wants to have a sit-down meeting with the Russian leader, that is ... and his team is rooting for the ultimate link up.

We caught up with Ye's manager Bu Thiam, and he's definitely here for a Vladimir Putin meets West sit down ... despite many folks who are side-eyeing the whole situation.

Bu says he looooves the idea of the two men sitting down and having a conversation... “That’s King Ye, Why not?” he asked. Well, depends on who he's asking ...

While many people have suspicions about the Russian leader's alleged brutal tactics ... when it comes to Putin, Bu says that he loves him and backed him up by saying most leaders have to make tough decisions.

He dusted off any backlash saying, in America "we hate" everybody that’s not American ... he even doubled down on that by claiming Putin is loved by his own people.

As we previously told you ... Kanye reportedly wants to have a meeting with the Russian leader. He also is planning to start doing his Sunday Service shows in the country starting in the spring or summer.

Ye's team is divided on the topic, with some saying none of this is happening. His business associate told Billboard about the plans, but then his PR rep shot down the story, saying it was "entirely fabricated."

At least one of Young Dolph's murder suspects also used his gun to carjack the Mercedes-Benz used as a getaway car in the fatal shooting ... according to cops.

The suspected killer's alleged crime spree is all laid out in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... and police say the carjacking went down in Memphis, a week before Dolph's murder.

In the docs, cops say a woman in a white Mercedes-Benz told them she was approached by 2 men armed with AR-style guns and they demanded her car. She also told cops one of the men hit her with the muzzle of a gun before she got out of the car and fled on foot.

And, get this ... cops say the woman told them one of the men ended up chasing her down because he couldn't start the car, forcing her back inside the ride at gunpoint and hitting her on the back of the head with his gun and demanding she starts the car.

Police say one of the men drove off in the white Benz, while the other followed in a dark-colored sedan ... and the Mercedes was used in a series of crimes, including Dolph's murder.

Remember ... detectives tracked down the getaway car to a Memphis-area home shortly after Dolph was killed.

In the docs, police say they dusted the car for fingerprints and got a match for Cornelius Smith.

As we previously reported, the other suspect, Justin Johnson, also has a connection to the Benz ... because he shot a music video at the home where the car was found.